I’ve had theories as to how they were going to fix Dean all season long, but I have to say this episode dealt me surprise after surprise.

We start out this episode with a ranting Sam giving all the reasons they should do whatever they can to save Dean, but with Cas warning about the consequences about doing that. I know they will figure something out (they always do), but I’m going to agree a little with Cas here. Sam and Dean don’t always make the wisest decisions about each other.

First Life Lesson of the Night

Next we see Dean most assuredly not alright.

Nope you’re not good at all Dean. If any of you wake up like this in the mornings– you are also very far from good. [Insert “The More you Know” Rainbow].

Dean’s day just keeps getting better too. He starts off by calling a murdered girl a whore (which he totally missed the opportunity to make a comment about the Whore of Babylon) and the rounds it out by trying to run off the hunter that called him in on the case in the first place. His charm gets even better in a minute. When he goes to interview the dead girls parents he not only makes them so mad that the dad punches him repeatedly in the face, he also pulls a gun on the dad AND the son. Hunter of the Year right here. He did find out the location of the vampire nest though so there’s that.

Rowena doesn’t fall for bluffs

Evidently Crowley can’t find another witch for them (why has that not been asked yet?) so they are stuck with Rowena. She strong arms them into promising her freedom and the Codex in exchange for performing the spell. I’m sure this is going to go perfectly.

She reads the spell out loud telling Sam and Cas the three ingredients she’ll need to do the spell. It turns out that Dr. Seuss invented the language it was written in and that they need the forbidden fruit, the golden calf and the thing Rowena loves. A little bit of a challenging shopping list.

She looks pretty fantastic for someone chained up in a nasty dungeon-y place.

She once again establishes that she’s the worst mother ever and doesn’t love Crowley, but Cas does read her mind and finds out that she did love a boy named Oscar. After Sam gets a phone call from the Hunter that Dean was a douche to he gets Cas to go get the ingredients for the spell while he goes to find Dean.

Dean is Passing the Point of No Return

Dean makes it to the cabin where the vampires are holed up and kills one immediately then walks in to find Red Shirt Hunter Dude trapped with a knife to his throat. First off Dean is scary in this scene with his lack of desire to try to save a fellow hunter. Secondly I feel like any other hunter would have escaped that vampire while he was waiving that knife all around. So I don’t agree with the fact that Dean proceeds to mock the vampire into killing the guy, but I do think that someone with better instincts would have gotten out of the way so Dean could have chopped the bad guy’s head off. Dean cuts the hostage loose before leaving her with multiple dead bodies, but I was surprised that he didn’t check to make sure she hadn’t been turned before leaving. I half expected him to chop her head off just to be safe.

Dean may have left calmly, but everything he just did hit him hard once he got back to the hotel room as was evidenced by his temper tantrum.

If anyone can sexily destroy a seedy hotel room though it’s this guy.

The Bro Love is Strong with Crowley

So Sam just tried to kill Crowley with the help of his POS mother yet all Castiel has to do to get him to help Dean is ask nicely. That’s it and all of a sudden Crowley is back with the fruit from the tree and a piece of the Golden Calf. These boys are too close to let a little attempted murder to bother them.

I, along with everyone else, love Castiel’s literal take on everything.

Now we know things are bad

Sam finds Dean’s hotel room, but he’s gone and he left a note with the keys to the Impala saying simply, “She’s all yours.” You know that Dean is gone when he gives away the Impala. You can see how much it freaks out Sam as well to see this casual note along with the trashed hotel room.

We cut to Dean summoning something that looks dangerous and turns out to be Death. Death is one of my favorite characters. He plays by his own rules. He helped the boys beat Lucifer, but he’s not really on their side.Dean asks Death to kill him and when he refuses he asks Death to remove it (I might would have asked those things in the opposite order). Death tells Dean that he can take the Mark away if he agrees to pass it on to someone else. Why you ask? Because of course the Mark isn’t just a curse, it’s also a key to a prison that holds back “The Darkness.” That not only sounds ominous, but also sounds like the writers are running out of names for their bad guys.

Dean agrees to Death’s other deal then and calls Sam so he’ll come and meet him for one final goodbye.

Crowley is still a sad lonely little boy

Crowley is still on the hunt for something that Rowena loves, but we find out that the diner owner he was talking to last week was actually the one person that Rowena loves. So by bringing him to her to murder he’s really just happy he’s found a way to hurt her. She lied to Castiel about Oscar and pretended like he was long dead when she knew he was immortal and hanging around somewhere. So her freedom must not have meant that much too her– until she was almost made to look weak in front of her son.

Poor Crowley.

Now Rowena has everything she needs to make the spell work and Sam doesn’t know that they are performing the spell as he’s meeting Dean.

Sam and Dean still like to fight

Sam shows up and right off the bat argues with Dean over his decision. He thinks that Dean is going to go off to space with Death and leave him all alone. However, Dean’s next statement surprised and shocked me.

The thought of Dean killing Sam is so alien to me I can’t wrap my head around it and I mostly watched the rest of the episode with my mouth open unsure of how this was going to work. Also here’s an image of Dean chilling in Space like Death wanted him to:

Dean’s thought process is that Sam won’t let Dean live wherever Death has planned so Sam has to die so that Dean can live forever alone in peace. Ummm no Dean. I get what you’re saying, but no. Sam begs with him, argues with him, and then finishes it off with a fist fight. . .as brothers do.

I love so many things about this. Sam got into a fight with crazy Dean knowing that when it went too far that he could cry Uncle and get him to stop. They also have a thorough discussion of good and evil. This is something that I feel like the writers have been dancing around for a while. The boys were obviously good when this show started, but after it all are they still good? Should they be one of the monsters hunters hunt?

Sam finally agrees to let Dean kill him though. Before he completely surrenders he gives him pictures of their family as reminders of what good and love really are. It’s at this moment we see something break in Dean, but I’m still not sure how Dean can get out of killing Sam. Something I’ve worried about since he originally took the Mark.

He reaches up to bring Death’s blade down onto Sam and keeps swinging around, stabbing Death in the chest with it. Death’s blade was established as the only thing that could kill Death way back when during the Apocalypse. So now Dean has killed Death for some reason (well to save Sam, but he’s the one that called Death in the first place) and he doesn’t quite seem to know what to do next.

RIP Death. You will be missed.

As he’s trying to figure out what their next move should be Rowena finishes the spell and successfully manages to remove the Mark from Dean’s arm. The only down side to this development is that Rowena is now free and appears to have taken control of Castiel and sent him to kill Crowley.

Taking a cue from the Sopranos it cuts to black before we know if Cas goes through with it or not.

Oh yeah that too

Oh yeah “The Darkness” thing that Death was going on about now seems to be free and not wasting any time taking over the world. Ooops. I’m sure it’ll be all OK right? At least Death is dead so no one can die until a new Death takes over. . .

This week we took a break from the search for the cure and were introduced to an even bigger scum bag of an Angel then we have seen previously. Well except for Metatron. This was a good solid episode where the boys aren’t just out killing everything in sight. They actually had to work through a case, do research and help an innocent.

Here are a few questions I have though:

Why can’t Cas find Claire?

I’ve never understood all the ins and outs of the angels falling. Cas can now heal people and has his Grace back soooo what else does that grant him? Does getting your Grace back just mean now that you’re a healer and that’s it? When the Angels were looking for Sam and Dean during the apocalypse they could find them through prophets and dreams. Why can’t they use Cas to help locate Claire? I can buy that Claire’s mom Amelia (they really love that name don’t they) is somehow hidden because Angels and magic and stuff. Also did the fall of Heaven affect this rouge douchbag angel at all?

Why is everyone freaking out about Dean?

Ummmm I don’t think Dean beat that dude up because of the Mark. I’m pretty sure he would have done all that Mark or no Mark. The guy was a piece of crap that hurt a little girl. I’m pretty sure that’s a good enough reason in Sam or Dean’s book. Everyone keeps bringing up how out of control Dean is getting, but really since he went crazy and killed all those people the last time they saved Claire I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Dean’s always been the one to shoot first and ask questions later.

I see nothing wrong with this.

I’m glad that Claire got to see the boys when they weren’t just killing people.

Yep Claire– pretty much everyone you meet in this world has a horrible back story too.

OK I know this isn’t a question about plot, but I’m glad that Claire got to see the boys and Cas in a different light. They aren’t always massacring huge groups of people or heavenly beings. Sam got to help Claire learn how to live out on her own and Dean helped her have a little fun in a scary and stressful time. The addition of Claire to Jody Mill’s household also makes me really hope there will be a spin off in that direction.

Is it just me or did Claire look proud when Dean told her Jimmy was a hero?

For all her hatred of Castiel I think she keeps coming back to him (even if she acts like she doesn’t want to) because she loved her father. So now she has confirmation that he really was the great man she remembers and not some jackass that left her and her mother for no reason. He did it to save not only her, but the world.

It was nice to see them show off their ability to survive– not just come in a slaughter.

Sam got knocked out– it looked bad for him, but we got to see him figure it out. He got out of a really bad situation and still helped save the day. And Dean figured out the guys needed help and instead of just rushing in to help he found out what he was facing and went in informed. Once again– I think Dean is doing great. Better now even than pre Mark of Cain.

Is there a reason Claire killed the angel and not Dean?

I know he’s trying to not hulk out, but would it have done something to the Mark if he’d killed an Angel? He’s killed them before– preMark, but I wondered if there was a reason Claire had the honors here. Or maybe it just gave her an opportunity to strike back against a group that tore apart her family. Metatron really wanted to make Dean kill him though so that leads me to believe that if Dean kills an Angel even if that angel is a total tool it will do something irreparable to Dean.

Is Amelia’s fake heaven that much different then her real one?

Did anyone else think it was super creepy that her fake heaven and her real heaven were so much alike? Is there something fundamentally messed up about Heaven too? Or was that just her desires were finally real? I know one thing though– Misha killed it.

I’m sure that’s not the last we’ve seen of Claire or her stolen Angel Sword, and I will just be over here holding out hope for that Jody Mills spinoff.

Well we’ve had a lengthy break so of course this episode involves a lot of set up for the rest of the season. What we got was a tease for who might be coming back, who already surprisingly is back, and I also was reminded of people I want to die already.

Who’s back

Metatron. OK he also classifies as someone that I’m ready to die. He’s back right now in all his horrible glory. I’m a little unclear on why they’ve been keeping him alive. I also can’t help but think that he had Dean bring back the First Blade, not to remove the Mark ,but to corrupt him more. It definitely looked like he was trying to get Dean to kill him or at least seriously hurt him to make the Mark’s influence grow even more. I second Dean’s motion though. All in favor say aye

Aren’t they dead already?

Rowena. Why is Crowley keeping her around? This relationship is confusing me. He seems to see right through her crap, yet allows her access to the underworld and plays right into her traps. I’m guessing she’ll be around for a while messing with Crowley and trying to take him down. Although I can’t understand her motivation for that either. If he’s no longer in charge she will be made vulnerable. Why can’t she hang out with Dean for a while? That’d end amazingly.

My only thought could be that he’s looking for a reason that she left him. But really I think the answer is easy. She’s heartless and never cared about him. Finally why would he tell the boys where his bones are? For the story I know Rowena needed to know, but that seems like something that Crowley won’t share with anyone after Bobby tried to burn his bones.

Shouldn’t she run away again?

Claire. OK I get that she’s a misunderstood teen that has had a crappy life, but I’m done with her whining. She’s trying to manipulate everyone around her and can’t figure out that Castiel is trying to help her. I know that Castiel’s advent into her life was the end of all that is normal and can see why she is bitter. Still doesn’t make me not tired of her character. I think I would have liked her more if she had joined them in the bunker and was fighting evil with them. Right now all she’s managed to do is distract everyone and almost get people killed. And evidently air all their dirty laundry to nasty hobos. How were those weirdos not scared by her story about Randy and her dad?

She does speak some truth here though.

Who’s coming back

Charlie. OK we know for sure that Charlie will be back next episode. Assuming this isn’t some dream or hallucination that means that she’s back from Oz and for some reason wants to hurt Dean. Obviously hurting Dean right now is a bad idea all around. First of all it doesn’t help Dean trying to get rid of the Mark and secondly he might accidentally kill Charlie with all the emotions from the Mark running through him. I’m interested to see where this is going.

Cain? I really hope so. I love the actor that plays Cain (Timothy Omundson who played Detective Lassiter in Psych) and I want to see him come back. Sam brings up valid points though that Cain has been living in the woods eating corn for years without going on killing sprees so it is possible to live with it. My thoughts are though that Dean is not really going to be able to be a hunter AND have the Mark. If this was the last season I might would think that this was their way to end the series without killing them off. I also wonder why they haven’t gone to talk to Cain yet. Surely he makes more sense to talk to over Metatron.

I’ll have to just let the image of Cas texting to hold me over until next week.

Well here we are at the season 10 premier and as it is with many season premiers the boys are separated. However, unlike previous seasons they aren’t together by the end of the episode.

We start out the episode watching Sam going crazy looking for Dean (but not quite as crazy as he was when Dean was in hell or when Dean was killed for 6 months by the Trickster. Still he’s pushing boundaries and not letting much stop him from trying to find out where Dean is.

The most concerning part of this opening sequence isn’t Sam slicing into demons or losing sleep trying to find a lead, but watching how sick Castiel is now. Yeah we knew that his grace situation was definitely lacking, but no one likes seeing Cas dying in a nasty flop house (btw why isn’t he staying with Sam? Have I forgotten something?). Sam has gone dark before, but Cas doesn’t get a cold much.

Switch to Crowley and Dean living life to the fullest. Just the exchange between Crowley and Dean says so much. They exchange the boys signature bickering phrase (Jerk/Bitch) and then are seen playing crappy pool hall games. You put this scene together with the conversation Crowley has with Sam later and I think we get to the root of all that is going on. Crowley states more than once about how much fun he’s having with Dean and vice versa. Did he get Dean to take the Mark just so that they could be bffs? It sure seems like it from where I’m sitting. I also have a theory that he’s sending the other demons to attack Dean to make his change even more concrete. It never hurts that Dean is probably making a name for himself and a BAMF in all the demon circles.

Cas’s story this episode doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not just because he’s not on his A game it’s because he’s willing to kill another angel to get him to obey Heaven. Since when has Cas been an angel that listens to Heaven. Any time he is that kinda angel it usually ends very badly. I just feel like he’s still being manipulated and you’d think by now Castiel would be wise to such tactics.

Wait– I thought we were ignoring the whole Amelia story line.

The other thing that doesn’t sit well with me is how easily Sam gets fooled by creepy Army dude. I mean seriously– his car suspiciously breaks down on a dark abandoned road while he’s on his way to track down Dean (which he knows Crowley knows he’s coming) and doesn’t doubt the intentions of a guy that pulls up immediately behind him to help? Where’s his gun? Where’s his automobile know how? The Impala might be Dean’s, but he’s been around it long enough to know how a car works. It just seemed too convenient a trap and something that Sam wouldn’t have been caught unawares about.

The episode wraps up with Sam zip tied to a chair about to die and crazy army dude frustrated that Dean doesn’t seem to care about it (btw– Sam had Dean’s number this whole time?). Dean just drives off alone promising CAD his eventual death and seems to genuinely not care if Sam lives or dies.

Well. Isn’t that nice.

Not only are the boys at odds they don’t seem to be kissing and making up anytime soon. Will Dean be cured? Will Crowley get his way and have Dean at his right hand in Hell? Will Sam be killed (ummm no) and will Cas die from lack of grace (no please?)?

Well even with my questions one thing is for sure: Season 10 is setting up to be pretty amazing and I’m definitely excited to see what is coming.

Wow. There were so many great things about this episode, but let me say I seriously thought when I saw someone typing on a typewriter that Chuck was back (aka God). After all he was around during the apocalypse it would make sense that he showed back up during this craziness.

Alas it was just Metatron being a douche as always. He goes on a shpeal about stories and subtext (seriously I could hear the Destiel shippers cheer from my house) and then it jumps into the episode. Of course this was more important than I thought it was at the time, but we’ll get back to that later.

Most likely I was distracted from Metatron’s doucheiness by this glorious scene. And yes I’m posting the whole photo set, because you deserve to see it again.

Yeah out of all the fan service in this episode I am most thankful for this jewel. Dean you can be moody all you want. . .while showering.

The episode continues to set up like a pretty good episode. Metatron is using Gadreel to gather angels and then kill them, the boys are hunting him with Cas’s help and then it starts to get even more interesting. Just as Cas is loading up to go search for Gadreel the lights flicker and the TV switches on. OK right then I began to hope/suspect that Gabriel was back and then once I heard the Casa Erotica music I did squeal, and text my friends/brother to verify they were seeing it too (they were “working”??). I didn’t realize how much I missed Gabriel (and Lucifer and Zachariah etc), but I was super excited to see where this was going.

I should have known that it was too good to be true. Gabriel back just when we need/want help. What REALLY clued me in that something was wrong was that he started talking about how he was there to lead the resistance and how he just wanted to help this time. Even when he DID help last time he was reluctant and that involved stuff a lot closer to home. I definitely knew something was seriously wrong when he mentioned that Cas was low on gas randomly while not even looking at the gas gauge. What I wasn’t expecting was that Metatron was in Cas’s head this entire time making him see what he wanted to see.

I wasn’t so impressed with Metatron downloading all the Pop Culture that he could to Cas’s brain. I like my Cas clueless as to what is going on around him. We’ll see if that become as annoying as it has potential to be. I really hope not. Metatron also threw around a bunch of crap about how he was a hero and Cas was a villain which leads me to believe that he’s super insane.

OK I’ll come back to the Cas and Metatron story line in a moment.

While Metatron and Cas have been doing their thing Dean and Sam have captured Gadreel and Sam quickly loses control while they try to question him. I know I’ve mentioned how much I love the actor playing Gadreel before, but seriously. I loved Tahmoh Penikett in Dollhouse and am loving him in this too. I do think he’s trying to redeem himself, but has just aligned himself with the wrong guy. If he’d met Cas first and really truly partnered with the boys I think he would have ended up one of the good guys.

Dean takes over the torture/interrogation and he lets the scary out a bit.

Gadreel pushed all the right buttons with Dean (Daddy, Sam, loneliness, etc) trying to get him to kill him (once again I think he just wants an end to the guilt and pain he’s felt since the fall of man), but Dean realizes what’s going on before hand. We get another thoughtful bathroom scene from Dean ending with him casually (and in a super scary fashion) confidently walk out of the bathroom twirling the angel blade in his hand and forgetting his cell phone next to the sink. Yeah that’s not bad.

Speed up to Sam finding out that Metatron has Cas and wants to trade him for Gadreel which has Sam speeding back to Dean before Dean can kill Gadreel. Dean of course isn’t answering the phone and Gadreel is no where to be seen when Sam rushes into the warehouse. We are supposed to assume that Dean got out of control and killed Gadreel, but I have to say I didn’t fall for it. Dean after all tortured people in Hell for years so yeah I believe he would inflict pain on Gadreel, but do I think he would release him from his trap? No.That’s what he wanted so that’s the last thing he’s going to get. However I do wonder at his muddled speech and confusion when Sam finds him slumped on the floor. Is that from the Mark of Cain? Or is he just worn out from torturing an angel? I’m assuming the former.

They make the trade with Metatron, but their trap they set fails miserably. Metatron is making the age old mistake of telling the other people his master plan with the assumption they can do nothing to stop them. Evidently reading all the Supernatural books didn’t clue him in that it takes a hell of a lot to stop the Winchesters.

Back at the motel they are parting ways with Cas (why exactly I’m not sure. Shouldn’t they be working together? I can understand to an extent, but it seems like it should be time to regroup and plan). Cas comments on Dean’s well being and Dean gives him an awkward shoulder pat which resulted in this:

I think that Dean wanted Cas to find out. It’s like when you get a tattoo and then “accidentally” show it off. Yes he knew that Cas would probably disapprove, but I also think that he knows Cas hill want to help him get rid of it when the time comes. I feel us inching closer and closer to Sam eating his words about how he’d let Dean die if the tables were turned.

Lastly we found out earlier that Metatron’s end game this go round was to get Cas to lead the rebellious angels and Cas repeatedly refused to do this. So why does the closing scene show Cas drawing the Horn of Gabriel and calling all the angels to his side? We also see Metatron typing this scene on his typewriter with a satisfied smirk on his face. So is Metatron controlling Cas? Or is Metatron just seeing what is going on and is happy about it? Maybe Cas is going to put Hannah in charge? I cannot believe that Cas would willingly take the deal unless it was to save the boys. Even then I don’t see it happening.

And can we talk about how much it pissed me off that Metatron spelled Cas “Cass”—- umm no. Cas is short for Castiel, he’s not Mama Cass. Overall though this was an amazing episode and the writers killed it (along with all of my feelings) and the actors weren’t too shabby either. I’m excited to see where it’s going from here until the season finale.

This post is even later than usual because besides being a mom, a seamstress and going back to the office part time I’ve also decided to become a band manager on the side. Cause I go to bars? Or maybe because I’m good at telling other people what to do. Yep. That’d be it. Now back to it:

There are really two stories going on here so we’ll talk about them one at a time. Let’s talk about Kevin first. Maybe it was all the extra stuff I’ve taken on, but I was completely taken by surprise with Kevin coming back. Not having time to Google spoilers was quite fantastic in this instance. So this was me:

and I have stated how messed up I was when Kevin died so I was pretty happy we had some closure on this subject. Well as much closure as we can have about Kevin still being dead and proving that he was right and they should have gone and looked for him mom sooner. Cause maybe if they’d listened to Kevin for once he would have been able to find his mom before he died. Just sayin’.

I also see this whole episode as a reminder that Crowley is not good. Yes he helps the boys out periodically, but he is still, at his core, the King of Hell. Dean needs this reminder more than any of us right now. I have to say I find it interesting that the same person that was once destined to be Michael’s vessel now has the Mark of Cain and is leaving desperate messages on the King of Hell’s voice mail. He even defended Crowley to Sam about keeping Mrs. Tran and the others captive (btw– what about the 3rd captive?!)

Sam and Dean are still on rocky ground and I really think Sam needs to watch out because Dean is going to be faced with killing Sam. At least that’s my theory. This time around it won’t be for some noble reason like during the apocalypse. I was actually kinda thinking that Dean was going to bust out with some new Mark of Cain power or strength when he was being held captive by Crowley’s lackey. I’m biding my time though because there can’t be some big development like taking on the Mark of Cain without some repercussions and some rewards.

Yes, they made contact with Kevin, saved Mrs. Tran, killed some low level demon (which way to go Mrs. Tran), and reunited Kevin with his mom until he can cross over (and inexplicably ignored the 3rd.)

So many feels all around and all that, but all my sappy emotions were overshadowed by Sam acting like a 5 year old. Really Sam? You can’t make any overtures to mend things between you and Dean?

And what is Sam’s response to the ghost of the person that he technically killed?

He stormed out of the room. He’s so mature or I’ve never wanted to slap such a handsome man so much in my life. One or the other.

Now on to Castiel. We see Cas still on his mission to find Metatron and fix what he messed up. I was kind of surprised with the speed he was captured by Bartholomew’s guys and I was also surprised that he didn’t have a spare Angel Blade hidden in his coat. Honestly I was more invested in the Kevin storyline than the Cas one, but I feel like what happened with Cas is going to be really important. I mean besides the fact that he killed the head evil Angel, he now has followers. Will he be able to redeem himself after all the things he’s messed up? (Leviathan, killing a ton of Angel’s previously, and then closing Heaven to name a few). I really hope so. I love Cas and he is the hero that Heaven needs.

I think that Cas now has the experience and the restraint to actually be the perfect leader for Heaven. Using the show’s logic perhaps God was testing Cas this whole time, leading him to this moment. In real life that’s a horrible idea, but in Supernatural world it makes me excited to see how much Cas has developed since his introduction years ago.

I’ll end this by answering a question that my little brother asked. Or at least answering it according to Tumblr. The pink and black iPod (knockoff) that Dean was jamming to at the end with his Beatz by Dre? You remember that kinda odd random moment? Tumblr people have theorized that that is Charlie’s iPod and that’s why it’s pink. I can accept this logic.

These boys don’t know how to let go do they? OK let me rephrase: Dean doesn’t know how to let go of Sam. Season 1 their dad sells his soul to save Dean and leaves Dean wracked with guilt. Then in season 2 Dean sells his soul to bring Sam back from the dead and then they spend a bunch of time trying to fix that. Oh wait, then his whole “getting dragged to hell” thing caused even more issues. Yet, while Dean was in Hell and during “Mystery Spot” were the only times that Sam really worked to get Dean back. My theory? It hurts too much. Or perhaps Sam has decided it hurts others too much.

As always SPOILERS AHEAD!

Dean’s visit to hell caused the Apocalypse and Sam’s visit to Hell caused him to be a soulless jerk for over a year. Now his Gadreel possession has cost Kevin Tran his life. (From the view of the writers though, Kevin had to die in order to get Crowley back out there. There is no way that Kevin would have agreed to letting Crowley go). I will say that the desire to stay alive has cost the world and both the boys so much and if I was Sam I’d be questioning this as well. (Now don’t get me wrong– I love this show and don’t want the boys to die, but I can see why they would want to die).

OK getting back to this episode though Kevin is dead, Dean is left to deal with the guilt and clean up the mess. Then of course make some more mess with a very manly display of anger. The interactions between Dean and Cas this episode are pretty great though. It’s nice to see them back together not (really) keeping secrets from each other and working towards a goal.

Cas supports Dean even though really Dean did screw a bunch of crap up. Usually we see Dean in this position. After all Cas tried to become God and then screwed up even worse by trying to make amends for all the wrong he did. Which made his comments to Dean mean that much more meaningful.

Dean didn’t really buy it, but it was at least enough to get him working towards a goal again. Which brings us back to Gadreel.

Part of me feels sorry for Gadreel. He is getting played hardcore by Metatron. I can’t help but think that if Metatron hadn’t come along and fed him a bunch of crap that Gadreel really would have healed Sam and then moved along. My hope? That Gadreel will realize how full of it Metatron is and will take him out. That would slightly make up for what he has done to Dean, Sam and Kevin. Slightly. Just a tiny bit.

Surely he has to be second guessing his choices. I predict that killing his friend will eat away at him and this will start him on the road to take down Metatron. After all who can forget this face?

Moving on. I loooooove, love, love Crowley as the good bad guy and it looks like we are going to see even more of this. On a side note I think this show does an amazing job with the image of the demon and angel possessions. This moment was pretty cool to watch:

and also this line:

Look at Dean, trying so hard to make it right, yet still get his way. I never had a doubt that as soon as Sam realized what was going on that he would be able to kick Gadreel out. I wonder if now that he’s not possessed if he will be able to shed light on Gadreel’s real personality and if he will remember what Metatron did and said to control him. The boys break ups never lasts too long so I’m sure we’ll find out soon.

I will also be judging how Sam handles what Dean did and what Dean said when he left him. Dean would have gotten angry, stormed off, and then gone and found Sam again and done whatever it took to make sure that he was OK. Will Sam walk away and leave Dean to his depression? They are obviously back together by the next episode, but I wonder who initiated that contact.

Now to address the Crowley/Abaddon dynamic. All I will say is Crowley will crush her and I will enjoy watching every second. Anyone that says otherwise is selling something.

I also enjoyed this graphic:

This season is such a huge improvement over season 8 that it makes me super excited to see what is coming next and I can’t even express how excited I am to see that Tahmoh Penikett looks like he is going to be back for a while. I loved him on Dollhouse (and Smallville) and am excited to see what he brings to Gadreel. I know we are going to be introduced to Cain (as in Cain and Able) this season AND they are planning a spin off around episode 20 (which makes me half excited and half apprehensive). I think we are going to keep seeing this season get better and things are always better when Crowley is helping them out.

I love love love Human Cas. I love that he would be dead if it wasn’t for his living outside the lines with the boys. I love that he calls himself Clarence (let me cry a little for Meg). I love that he’s having to deal with things that he’s always been confused by, like hunger, sleep, cleanliness and other bodily functions (do you ever get tired of urinating?) I also love that he’s still naive. I mean seriously who else would believe that a nice girl would bring home a bum, clean his knife wounds, give him a massage (along with a happy ending) and something not be up? Especially he knows the other angels are after him. However I buy it because it is so very Cas to trust this sweet looking girl just because.

Yeah how did that work out Cas?

How about Dean’s lines this season? Holy crap he’s hilarious. Well, a very funny guy that is going to get caught lying very soon. His satisfied smirk after he tells a really good lie isn’t helping matters. Sam isn’t going to keep buying that he got knocked out and Dean made it happen very quickly. I’m surprised he’s believed it this long. Surely he suspects that something is up now. Now that brings us up to Sangel healing Cas. I really think the only reason Zeke did this was because he saw Dean breaking down looking at Cas’ body and wants to keep him on his side to achieve whatever crazy thing he’s using Dean for. I still believe that Zeke really does need Sam’s body to heal and that he’s helping Sam by being in there, I also think he set himself back by fixing Cas.

That being said I definitely think that something is up with Zeke. Yes everyone is after Cas, but if he’s just hanging out in the bunker there is no way that he can get caught. If Reapers could find people in the bunker then they would have found Kevin Tran by now. I find his reason to make Cas leave crap and I’m dying for Dean to call him on it. However, I’m afraid he’s too worried that Zeke is going to leave Sam high and dry and will actually follow through with the Cas eviction. OK so here’s my big question, You have the KING OF HELL in your dungeon! How about getting his help with Sam??Not necessarily go through with it, but see if he’ll deal and then let Zeke know that if he doesn’t stick to the original plan he has someone else to fix everything. Granted Kevin probably isn’t going to be cool with it, but Kevin isn’t cool with anything to do with Crowley. How about seriously figure out any better plan than this one. Angels are bad news. Period. You know this Dean.

Other things about this episode:

There was a serious lack of Kevin Tran although reading @OsricChau ‘s tweets almost made up for that

Cas was shirtless quite a bit and although that isn’t Sam shirtless– it’s still awesome

The televangelist was so creepy. Well maybe creepy isn’t the right term, sleazy? slimy? Hmmm I say creepy because he seriously thought he was helping people and then rationalized away seeing that girl explode like it was nothing.

The angels seem to just want to reverse what Metatron and Cas did, and I know I should understand that and support it, except they are psycho.

Jared Padalecki did an amazing job switching between Sam and Zeke. There was enough of a difference to know what was up even before Dean did, but it wasn’t crazy obvious.

I may have cried at the look on Cas’ face when Dean told him he had to leave. He just got to a home and now is getting kicked out. Not only kicked out, but kicked out by the one person that always backs him up.

And finally– I think Sam took my advice and had a hair cut.

Look at that hair toss.

Did I miss any other red flags? I’m worried about Cas, I’m worried about Dean, oh and Sam. And Kevin. And Crowley. Hmmm I guess the only person I’m not horribly concerned about is Charlie which is the only reason I can think of that I’m not as excited as I thought I would be that Felicia Day is coming back next week. The previews for that seem like it’s going to be a weird episode too. We shall see.

I am a hardcore fan of “Supernatural .” I’ve watched all seasons numerous times and heaven help you if I find out you’ve never seen this show because I will seriously hound you until you become as addicted as I am. So when I say that season Gr8 of “Supernatural” (as it has been dubbed) hasn’t always lived up to the hype know that it is hard for me to say. However the episodes from “LARP and the Real Girl” (who doesn’t love Felicia Day?) to the finale episode “Sacrifice” went a long way to redeem the season. These episodes got the brothers back on track to what they needed to be doing which is of course supporting each other with an insane amount of trust and devotion while risking everything to save people’s lives.

Last week’s episode “Clip Show” ended with Crowley (Mark Sheppard) threatening to undo all the good that Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) had ever accomplished unless they gave up the Trials to close the gates of Hell. The viewer was left to wonder how they will get out of this quandary. The Trials are killing Sam, but if the gates of Hell can be closed then Crowley can’t hurt anyone. However, who will they lose before they can complete the third trial.

This looked to be a way out for the boys. There is no way that they would be able to close the gates of Hell. If they did there would be very few bad guys left and people need Hell. There was also a ton of foreshadowing in “The Great Escapist” a few weeks ago if you knew what to look for. I talk about that more here.

“Sacrifice” doesn’t feel rushed at the beginning of the episode, but a lot definitely happens in the first half of the show. The boys save Sherriff Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes), who we haven’t seen much since Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) died, from Crowley by coming to an agreement to end the trials and give up the demon tablet. They have a meeting with Crowley at Bobby’s place and Dean manages to pack so much emotion into his face in those few moments looking around at the shells of cars that all the pain the boys felt over losing their father figure come rushing back. The boys look defeated. Trapped. They have to give up to save everyone. Right?

Well Crowley should have realized by now that nobody puts Dean in a corner.

The boys always do their best when all seems hopeless and they prove it again by tricking Crowley int a pair of Devil’s Trap cuffs. I love that Crowley thought that he could intimidate Dean by punching him and the look on Crowley’s face when Dean punched him back was great. This is what I have loved about the second half of the season. The boys are working together.

Sam and Dean seem to have taken all the precautions this time around. Crowley’s chained up in an abandoned church with devil traps everywhere and it looks like they will actually pull it off. The third trial: curing a demon. They are going to win and will bring Crowley to his knees. So of course enter Castiel (Misha Collins) stage left.

I’m actually really excited that Cas actually came to Dean for help. He’s been working with Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) in the subplot since “Clip Show” which has seemed off from the get-go. He just seems like a creeper. You know that one teacher or professor that you had that you never went to during office hours no matter how confused you were in class. That’s Metatron. Just off. Even though Castiel should have run Metatron’s plan past Dean after all the horrible decisions he’s made in the past (Purgatory, Leviathan, Naomi) at least they were able to stop everything on Sam’s end before he died. Poor Castiel is so confused though and just wants to fix his mistakes so of course keeps making a bigger mess.

Dean, of course, goes off to help Castiel with Metatron’s plan leaving Sam to take care of Crowley alone. Sam who is having trouble walking and looks like death. In charge of the King of Hell. Yeah that sounds like a good idea.

While Dean and Cas are trying to figure out what they need to do Naomi (Amanda Tapping) tries to redeem herself by giving Dean and Cas a heads up that Metatron is lying and that Sam will die if he completes the trials (which really?? Of course Sam is going to die). Not that it saved her (although I don’t know that a spike to the brain would kill an angel so she might show up again next season).

It did allow Dean to stop Sam before he cured Crowley which would have ended in Sam’s death. My only grief here is that obviously Sam was going to die. I can’t believe that Dean just gave his “we got this ” speech now!

Now about that speech. It was what I have been waiting for all season. Dean finally told Sam how much he depends on him and how much he loves his little brother. Sam has always just wanted to be good enough to make Dean proud and Dean usually only expresses those feelings when Sam is dead (making it kind of hard for Sam to know about them). The feels in the last few minutes were overwhelming. I was crying and my heart hurt with love for the boys.

The episode ended with Crowley chained up begging for forgiveness, Sam collapsed and in really bad shape and all the angels cast down to earth stripped of their graces.

“Sacrifice” was about so many other sacrifices than the ones I expected. This whole season has really been about sacrifice. Sam sacrificed his dream of redeeming himself through the trials. I really felt his pain in giving up this dream and his confusion when Dean told him to stop before he died. He sacrificed his life with Amelia (Liane Balaban) that he had been able to carve out while Dean was in Purgatory.

Dean sacrificed control over the trials. He sacrificed his friendship with Benny (Ty Olsson) who I personally wanted to see more of. He sacrificed any normalcy years ago. Castiel sacrificed his grace. Well really it was stolen, but he lost it while trying to correct all his mistakes. Kevin (Osric Chau), who by the way is one of my favorite character ever, sacrificed his amazing, if albeit pressure filled, life. He lost his mother, his friends, his girlfriend and all chances of his Ivy League education.

“Sacrifice” was great and had all the things a season finale needs: love, pain, humor and a cliffhanger. There are so many things that were left unanswered that will hopefully be covered next season. Can Dean finish the exorcism on Crowley there by curing him, but not finishing the trial? Why didn’t Sam look for Dean while he was in Purgatory? Season 9 can’t get here soon enough. What are your thoughts or predictions?